Modern classic to be shown in its true setting at Bletchley

Film fans can spend a late summer evening watching a Second World War classic and a classic in the making in Bletchley Park’s historic grounds.

An open air cinema will show The Great Escape on Friday September 2 and The Imitation Game on Saturday September 9.

Both films are based on true stories, and were voted for by Bletchley Park’s Facebook followers.

The Oscar-winning biopic The Imitation Game tells the story of the codebreaker, mathematician and pioneering computer scientist, Alan Turing. Pivotal scenes were filmed in the Victorian Mansion at Bletchley Park, where The Imitation Game: The Exhibition gives a peek behind the scenes of the movie with props, costumes and exclusive interviews.

Speaking to the Bletchley Park Trust, Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays Alan Turing, described the scenes shot at Bletchley Park as magical moments. He said: “It really was very special. You really feel like you’re playing slightly with ghosts. It’s nerve-racking, fictionalising what happened.”

Classic war film The Great Escape will grace the outdoor screen on the croquet lawn. Also based on a true story, a group of allied prisoners who have escaped repeatedly from prison camps are rounded up and put in a supposedly escape-proof camp.

Their mission is to get not only themselves out, but several hundred prisoners with them. They sneakily dig a tunnel, surreptitiously emptying pockets full of soil. The second half of the film is high adventure as the escaped prisoners race to get out of Nazi occupied Europe.

Cinema-goers are encouraged to bring a chair or rug to sit on, a picnic to enjoy and to dress up if the fancy takes them, either in 1940s vintage style or to theme their outfit to the film they are seeing.

Tickets cost £14.50 for adults and £8 for 12 to 16 year olds. Gates open at 6.30pm and both films will begin at 7.45pm. Visit www.bletchleypark.org.uk to book.